*This story contains sensitive information and readers should be advised.  

Roughly 350 people including over 200 children were recently rescued after being kidnapped and held as hostages in Nigeria for their Christian faith. 

The radical Islamic group known as Boko Haram has been fighting to overthrow the government since 2009. The group has been terrorizing Christians in the country, which number just over 108 million. 

International Christian Concern recently shared that 209 children, 135 women, and six men were rescued after being held hostage, some for years. 

After the Nigerian Army found a hideout in Sambisa Forest, they planned and executed a days-long rescue mission. Because of where this hideout was situated, the extremists have been able to attack casualties not only in Nigeria but also Cameroon and Niger.

According to reports, some of the girls and women had babies during their time of captivity. Some of those babies were conceived after the extremists raped the women. 

"I always wanted to escape but couldn’t," said Hajara Umara, who was finally rescued with her seven children. "If they caught you trying to escape, they would torture you and imprison you indefinitely."

Over two million Christians living in Nigeria have been displaced because of the Boko Haram, targeted specifically because of their faith. On top of this, 1,400 students have been kidnapped, taken right from Nigerian schools. 

Related Stories